I wiped my face with the back of my sleeve and straightened up, feeling the sharp pull of the surgical tape against my skin.

“Can I go in now?” I asked.

Elena smiled briefly and pressed the wall button beside the desk.

The heavy double doors unlatched with a sharp mechanical click and slid open into the wall.

The double glass doors clicked open again behind me, breaking the heavy silence of the corridor.

Dr.

Vance, the lead neonatologist, stepped up to the plastic incubator carrying a thick black clipboard with four fresh pages of chart paper under the silver clip.

Kevin moved up right beside me, his left shoulder pressing firmly against my right.